Articles

Review: Simms G3 Guide Boot

by Steve Zakur - Wednesday, May 28th, 2014

A few years ago all the manufacturers changed their wading boot soles from felt to rubber. This seismic moment in the industry was not prompted by new materials or consumer demand but rather by a threat to fisheries; Didymosphenia geminata. The assumption that didymo was being carried from far off places to domestic streams via angling equipment -- felt soles were the great demon -- prompted the action. It turns out that greater forces than anglers may have had a larger effect on the increased presence of this nuisance diatom. According to recent research by Queen's University in Ontario global climate change has a hand in didymo blooms. Climate change induced changing ice cover and nutrient loads both create more favorable conditions for the blooms. I don't think this lets anglers off the hook, but it's worth considering for many reasons.

I first started using Simms wading boots when the last generation of G3s were introduced. I purchased them originally as my fair weather boot, wearing a boxier alternative during cold weather, but the fit and features of the G3 soon made it the boot that ruled my wadered foot. When that pair needed to be retired this year I didn't hesitate to pick up the newest incarnation of the G3. I've fished it about twenty times in the past few months and am pleased with the purchase.

Understanding Leaders and Tippets

Confused by "X" sizes, pounds test, leader vs. tippet and more? You're not alone.

by Todd Tanner - Friday, May 23rd, 2014

Scientific Anglers Tippet Spools

I probably shouldn’t admit this, but leaders and tippets confused the heck out of me when I first started fly fishing. After all, if you were a spin fisherman, as I was back in the mid 80s, your terminal end tended to be pretty basic. You either tied your lure directly to your line, or, if you wanted to get fancy, you used a snap swivel to add flexibility to your rig. By comparison, fly fishing was rocket science.

New Rod & Reel Company Douglas Outdoors Announced

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, May 22nd, 2014

Jim Murphy, the founder of Redington and former president of Hardy North America has teamed up with Barclay family, owners of the Douglaston Salmon Run on New York's Salmon River, to bring a new name to the worlds of fly and spin fishing. The new company, called Douglas Outdoors, will debut their lineup of new fly rods, fly reels and spin rods at this years IFTD/ICAST show this July in Orlando, Florida.

The Douglaston Salmon Run (DSR) is a privately-held 2.5 mile stretch of water on the lower reaches of the Salmon River, managed primarily as a catch and release fishery, where the number of fisherman admitted via the DSR's pay-to-play admittance system is limited each day. The run is one of the bright spots on the Salmon -- an amazing fishery with dizzying counts of salmon, steelhead and big lake-run brown trout -- which is persistently prevented from becoming one of the true jewels of the lower 48 by the massive hordes of rod-wielding dimwits that descend on the river each autumn to drink, litter and "fish" in often elbow-to-elbow conditions, snagging and lining the vast majority of each day's "catch", all the while generally balking in the face of conservation-minded principles and ethical outdoorsmanship. The DSR, for the last several decades, has offered a respite from these conditions and a chance to experience the Salmon River's true potential.

Drift Boat Etiquette: Rules of the Road

Knowing how to Do The Right Thing when on the oars

by Captain Joe Demalderis - Wednesday, May 21st, 2014

Floating British Columbia's Elk River (photo: Chad Shmukler).

In its simplest form, etiquette is nothing more than doing the right thing at the right time given a particular situation. Some of these rules have been written down, but most have not. So without a formal written code how do we know the correct conduct for a particular situation? Generally, determining the right thing to do — following the rules of etiquette — can usually be accomplished by leveraging common sense and always taking into consideration how you'd like to be treated if your role in the situation at hand was reversed.

Review: Airflo SuperDRI Elite Fly Line

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, May 20th, 2014

Airflo has long been the go-to fly line maker for countless spey and switch casters and there are many saltwater anglers that trust Airflo lines first and foremost. But despite their success in those arenas, Airflo hasn't had a strong reputation in the world of traditional, single-handed trout fishermen. With its latest generation of fly lines, which it has coined SuperDRI, Airflo is seeking to put that reputation squarely behind them, openly acknowledging the issues of old and making bold claims about their latest technologies.

Most of Airflo's issues with earlier generations of trout lines came down to those lines not floating high enough or long enough. Airflo's ridge technology has always performed well, helping to produce long-shooting casts; and Airflo's dedication to using polyurethane to construct their lines instead of PVC has always introduced its bevy of benefits (less cleaning/maintenance required, resistance to Deet, gasoline, sunblock and other chemicals that eat other fly lines, etc). But, despite those accolades, floating trout lines need to float and those that don't float well are going to let people down.

Even though I liked Airflo's last go-round in the trout world -- which included the Ridge Supple Tactical Trout line -- better than most, there were some occasions when I was frustrated by the head sinking during long drifts. So, when I heard from Airflo that they had a new line in the works that not only aimed to solve the floating issue but also featured technology that Airflo was unabashedly touting as "game changing", I was pretty stoked to get one on the water.